Decision details

Moved by Councillor Scott, seconded by Councillor Ellsmore –

It is resolved that:

(A)       Council note:

(i)         share-bikes play an important role in assisting members of our community to travel efficiently, safely and environmentally around the City;

(ii)        as of April 2024, since 2019 there have been more than 2.9 million share bike trips taken in the City of Sydney;

(iii)       as of April 2024, approximately 4,700 trips are taken daily on share bikes within the City of Sydney;

(iv)       as of April 2024, share bike rides are saving approximately 1,426 tonnes of carbon emissions each year;

(v)        bikes left parked unattended on footpaths and roads can cause unreasonable hazards, posing as a significant safety risk for cyclists and pedestrians;

(vi)       share bike private companies utilise geofencing, creating a geographical boundary that restricts the stopping of a ride in certain areas outside the company’s specific boundary;

(vii)      in February 2024, the City of Sydney rolled out a pilot program with designated parking zones for share bikes in Pyrmont and Circular Quay;

(viii)    in this trial the City worked with share bike operators to incentivise people who use the bikes to park in 19 zones in Pyrmont and eight in Circular Quay, or riders would be at risk for further chargers to their ride. This creates a dockless parking area for share bikes;

(ix)       this trial was aimed to reduce clutter on footpaths; and

(x)        the City does not have regulatory control over share bike operators; and

(B)       the Chief Executive Officer be requested to:

(i)         report back to Councillors via the CEO Update on the outcomes of the dockless parking area for share bikes trial;

(ii)        ensure the roll out of the pilot program share bike parking is allocated spaces in all suburbs in the City of Sydney as soon as possible; and

(iii)       allocate funding for the trial extension and for share bike parking infrastructure in areas where this is not already provided in the City of Sydney in the 2024/25 City budget.

The motion was lost on the following show of hands –

Ayes (3)           Councillors Ellsmore, Scott and Weldon

Noes (7)          The Chair (the Lord Mayor), Councillors Chan, Davis, Gannon, Jarrett, Kok and Worling.

Motion lost.

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